Self-help without the self: Critique of non-governmental organizational approaches to rural development in Ghana

For more than four decades, governments of Ghana have worked with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to solve rural problems. However, the extent to which NGOs have been able to improve rural conditions is questionable. Many have suggested that NGOs function more as patriarchs than as partners in their rural development work. This article is a critique of NGO strategies for rural development in Ghana, in which I argue that the longstanding limitations of NGO strategies may have contributed to rural underdevelopment rather than development. I conclude that if NGOs are to contribute meaningfully to rural development in Ghana, they will need to change their strategies.